Novels by Adebiyi

The notice went up on Monday morning.By the time Riley got to the cafeteria it was all anyone was talking about.Inter-academy trials. Four schools. One selection panel. Top performers flagged for regional scouting. The Falcons were expected to dominate — they always were — but this year the Eagles had a new coach and a new roster pulled from three different countries, and that was the part nobody could stop talking about."Last year they knocked two of our guys out of regional consideration," Marcus said, dropping his tray across from her. "Two. And that was before the new coach. Carter was in a bad mood for a week straight.""When are the trials?" Riley asked."Three weeks." Marcus pointed his fork at her. "Double sessions between now and then. Last year one guy actually cried on the field.""What did Jax do?""Kept going. Did not even look at him." Marcus shook his head. "Not human, Ryan. I say this with complete respect."Jax sat down without asking. Tray down, expression flat."

Riley did not want to be there. So naturally, there she was.She stood just inside the entrance with Marcus beside her, holding a cup she had no intention of drinking from. The music was loud, the place was packed, and she was wearing her brother's face in a room full of people who could destroy her with one wrong look."You ready?" Marcus grinned.No."Yeah," she said.They had barely made it three steps when someone called her name. "Ryan!"A girl was already cutting through the crowd — figure skating jacket, dark hair loose, face bright. Emma. Ryan's girlfriend.Does she know? Did Ryan tell her? If he did not, this is already over.Before Riley could say a word, Emma looped her arm through hers and introduced herself to Marcus as her girlfriend.Marcus pressed one hand against his chest. "Wow, Ryan. You have a girlfriend, and I have been sitting alone in that dorm room. That genuinely hurt me."Emma laughed. Riley laughed. She let Emma pull her away before Marcus could ask anything

Riley's alarm went off at four-thirty in the morning, and the first thing she thought was that this was going to be the hardest day of her life — again.She lay still for a moment. Marcus was breathing slowly across the room. Jax's bed was already empty. She had not even heard him leave.She got up, grabbed her clothes, and slipped into the hallway before anyone else was awake. The bathroom was empty, and she worked fast — sports bra, binder wrapped tight around her ribs, compression shirt, practice jersey on top. Layer after layer until the mirror showed her what it needed to.Ryan Morgan stared back. Tired eyes, flat chest, jaw set hard.She pushed the door to their room open without thinking and stopped dead.Marcus was standing in the middle of the room, shirtless, pants halfway up, his back turned. Riley's hand flew up to cover her eyes before her brain had caught up, and the sound that came out of her mouth was pitched way too high."Sorry! Sorry!""Dude." Marcus turned around l

The bus ride to Falcons Academy was three hours of pure anxiety.Riley sat by the window, cap pulled low, watching the trees blur past. Her chest was bound so tight she could barely take a full breath. Every bump in the road reminded her how insane this plan was.She touched her short hair again. Still weird. Still wrong."You'll be fine, Riley."She could still hear Ryan's voice from this morning. Still see Mom's worried face at the door.It had taken two weeks of begging to convince them. Two weeks of Riley and Ryan tag-teaming their parents until they finally broke down."This is dangerous," Mom had said, her eyes red from crying. "If they find out—""They won't," Riley promised. "I'll be careful. I swear."Dad had been quiet for a long time. Then he'd looked at her with this expression she couldn't read. "You really want this that badly?""More than anything."He'd nodded slowly. "Then don't waste it. And don't get caught."Mom had hugged her so tightly this morning that Riley tho

CHAPTER 1: THE DECISIONRiley pressed her face against the glass, watching the hockey team practice. The sound of skates scraping ice made her heart beat faster. God, she loved that sound.The players moved across the rink like they owned it. Confident. Free. Living the dream, she'd been chasing since she was six years old."Riley, come on. Mom's going to kill us if we're late again."She turned around. Ryan stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking bored as hell. Her twin brother. Same face, same eyes, same everything on the outside.But inside? Completely different.Ryan couldn't care less about hockey. Riley would die for it."Five more minutes," she said.He rolled his eyes but didn't argue. Ryan knew better than to get between his sister and the ice.She turned back to watch the drills. Her fingers twitched, imagining the stick in her hands, the puck at her feet, the rush of cold air as she skated full speed toward the goal."You could just ask Dad to let you play, you k